I joined Clogau on 02 March 2020 and barely had the chance to memorise my route to work before we went into lockdown. Cue working from home and massive operational challenges as literally overnight, we shut all of our stores and became a pure eCommerce business. Fast forward several years and some semblance of normality has returned. I look back at what we achieved with immense pride - fulfilling 400% more orders with 90% less staff who had to maintain social distancing. Not easy for a business where the overhead footprint was weighted entirely to bricks and mortar stores rather than web sales. But, I’m not basking in former glories. The ground has shifted once again with the resurgence of the high street, and I’m fully focused on delivering the best omnichannel experience for our customers however they like to shop. Looking ahead, in lockdown we built a business that was stronger, smarter and more agile. Plus, our partnership with The Hut Group gives us global reach. This puts us in good shape to meet new challenges and weather any economic uncertainty that might be headed our way.

Given the struggles of the last two years, it was inevitable the CEO position would come up and my financial background definitely helped me to get this role.By hitting budget every month, setting a new record for units sold, quadrupling inventory turnover and restoring relationships with key stakeholders, I was able to deliver a financial turnaround and hand a stable business back to the group.

When I joined Avocet near the end of a financial year, the business was in freefall, on its way to posting record losses. With the company teetering on the brink of administration, this was a high risk move for me. But I had faith that Hero Cycles, the world’s biggest bike maker by volume, would continue to support their Western Outpost. Things got worse before they got better. Launching five brands late in the season was always going to be tough. Strained dealer relationships and imperfect specifications added to the enormity of the challenge. Soldiering on, I drew upon all my experience from ten years in practice. Long days were spent managing cashflow and maintaining complex financial models in order to right the ship. Despite the situation I was walking into, the timing was right for me to make the move into industry. But, it wasn’t for the fainthearted. Or in the inexperienced. I’m often contacted by young professionals asking if they should take an opportunity like this once they qualify, usually citing a salary hike. I say the same thing each time. Don’t make the leap until you’re a competent finance professional. Exposure, in Practice, to different clients and situations will stand in you good stead. No matter how bright you are, you won’t have the real-world experience early on in your career.

When I trained as an accountant with Champion I cut my teeth in the usual way - audit. Nothing exciting or glamorous about that, but I quickly realised it was more than just a box ticking exercise; the information we were assembling could give real insight into how well an organisation was being run. It's a mind-set that's served me well through stints in due diligence and corporate accounting work.